Eurasia Press & News
Washington DC. (Quds News Network)- Republican lawmakers in the US Congress have introduced bills to ban the use of the term “West Bank” in official government documents. The proposed legislation would replace the phrase with “Judea and Samaria,” the zionist biblical name used by Israel to refer to the occupied Palestinian territory.
According to The New York Times, the move aims to reinforce Israel’s claim over the land it occupied in the 1967 war. Supporters say the change would strengthen US-Israel ties and back Israeli control over the Palestinian land.
Representative Claudia Tenney, a Republican from New York, said she and other lawmakers formed the Friends of ‘Judea and Samaria’ Caucus to promote policies that support Israel’s control of the area. “We are working to reaffirm Israel’s rightful claim to its territory,” she said.
Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, defended the bill, arguing that “the Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria go back thousands of years.” He called on the US government to stop using what he described as “the politically charged term West Bank.”
Trump Weighs In on Annexation
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump addressed the issue of Israeli annexation of the West Bank. During a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he had not yet decided on the matter. However, he hinted that an announcement could come “within the next four weeks.”
Earlier, when asked if he supported annexation, Trump avoided a direct answer but complained about the small size of the occupation state. He compared Israel’s landmass to a pen on his desk, saying, “It’s a small piece of land, but what they’ve done is incredible.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump has moved quickly to roll back policies targeting Israeli illegal settlements. On his first day in office, he revoked an executive order issued by former President Joe Biden that allowed sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians.
Israeli officials, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, welcomed the decision. Smotrich, a staunch opponent of Palestinian statehood, praised Trump as “a true friend of Israel.”
Israeli Expansion Accelerates
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces and civilians have intensified attacks across the West Bank, including in the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem. According to Palestinian officials, at least 905 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 7,000 injured, and over 14,300 arrested.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s government continues to push for formal annexation of the territory. Several Israeli ministers have publicly called for extending Israeli sovereignty over the land, a move widely condemned by the international community as a violation of international law.
Trump’s strong backing of Israeli policies has emboldened right-wing lawmakers in both Israel and the US. His administration previously declared that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were not illegal, reversing decades of American policy.
Critics warn that supporting Israeli annexation could damage US relations with Arab allies and end hopes for a two-state solution. Jeremy Ben-Ami, head of the pro-Israel advocacy group J Street, said, “This is not just about language. It’s about legitimizing annexation, which would be the final nail in the coffin for Israel’s normalization with the Arab world.”
